Sylhet Bureau :
There are allegations of unprecedented delay and indescribable suffering in procuring Birth Registration Certificates as well as National Identification (NID) Cards in Sylhet City and District areas.
NID is essential now-a-days for receiving at least 16 fundamental services including Marriage Registration, Passport, Job Appointments, Opening of Bank Accounts, Gas, Waterline, Telephone and Electricity connections, Trade Licenses and Registration of land. However, there are allegations that UP Chairmen or Mayor of the Municipalities are reluctant to issue and supply the birth/death certificates or NIDs in due time. Many sufferers complain, even after paying kickback and repeated requests, they have failed to receive the certificates or NIDs in due time. Moreover, they said, a number of terms and conditions for the certificate or NID recipients by the concerned issuing authorities have made the procurement further complicated.
According to sources, earlier the NID of any person could be procured just by supplying the number of NID of his/her parents. But, after the enactment of new rules from last January-1, sufferings of many parents have been increased during issuance of NIDs of their offspring. In such cases, at first the NIDs of the parents are needed to procure and then to their offspring.
The NIDs of parents have been made mandatory for procuring NIDs or Birth Registrations for their offspring who were born after 2001, as a result, many parents are finding it difficult to make Birth Registrations for their children. Due to such difficulties, many people are reluctant to visit the Municipalities or the Union Parishads to procure Birth Registration Certificates or NIDs.
The terms and conditions for procuring a Birth Registration or NIDs is making many people disappointed and several hundred people are returning daily from the Municipalities or from the UP offices daily without getting the Birth and the Death Certificates that they need urgently. Such a chaotic scenario is being noticed in 12-upazilas, five municipalities and one City Corporation of the district.
Nurul Islam of Faridpur village under Lalabazar union of Dakshin Surma upazila informed he needed a Birth Registration Certificate for her six-year aged daughter to admit her to school. But, he said, he has been visiting the UP offices for several days for procuring the certificate but failing to get that in due time.
He further mentioned, he has submitted the application with all documents and papers required to procure a Birth Certificate. But, due to failure in Server, he is not getting the certificate in due time. It is alleged, not only at Lalabazar union but also in various unions of the upazila, the online birth registration activities are being hampered due to internet server complexities. As a result, the sufferings of service recipients knew no bounds. By not getting the certificates in due time, many people are also seen to be locked into altercations with the concerned officials of the UPs or the Municipalities.
Pir Foyzul Haque Iqbal, Chairman of Lalabazar Union Parishad informed that after newly introduced rules for Birth Registration Process through internet, much new information is being required to fulfill. Moreover, due to complexities in internet server connection, the certificates could not be supplied in due time. As a result, the officials involved with the registration works are often facing the wrath of common people as well as the service recipients. He hoped the terms and conditions of the government for procuring birth certificates should be relaxed to render a hassle-free service for the service recipients.
The same situation has been prevailing at the Jalalpur union of the upazila. However, Oyes Ahmed, newly elected Chairman of Jalalpur union did not receive a call over the mobile phone.
Meanwhile, Chairman of Jalalpur union Sulaiman Hossain informed, by following the government rules properly, he would try to issue and hand over birth certificates and other certificates to the people of the union as soon as possible.
Mir Mahbubur Rahman, Deputy Director of LGED, Sylhet division, informed, due to problems in the Server System for Birth and Death Registration of the Office of Registrar General, there are problems in issuing certificates but this problem will be solved soon.
He further said such a problem is prevailing not only in Sylhet but also throughout the country. However, he hoped the situation would turn normal within a short time.
Fahima Yeasmin, Secretary of Sylhet City Corporation while talking to informed, the format of Birth and Death Registration is prepared from the Department of Birth Registration through a software.
SCC officials have nothing to do in this connection. The Registration certificates can be downloaded online with the entry of necessary documents. But, due to the slow or down of the server, we failed to download those certificates in due time.
ANM Badruddoza, Additional Deputy Commissioner of Sylhet informed that the birth registration certificate or NID is required for issuing death certificates of any person. If anyone fails to supply the birth registration certificate, any member of his/her family having a birth certificate or NID can apply for the birth/death registration in favour of the family.
